The CW at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog

It’s time for The CW’s Television Critics Association press tour executive session with The CW Network President Mark Pedowitz.

Follow along for live updates…

9:02 AM: “We brought it back because…it’s a very profitable show for everybody,” Pedowitz says of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. He notes they’re not just a network, but they’re also a platform for their parent companies. (AKA, it’s back because it’s good for CBS Studios.)

9:05 AM: “We did not want to place the show on a Friday night,” Pedowitz says of placing JANE THE VIRGIN on Mondays. He says they see an opportunity.

9:06 AM: Pedowitz says they hope JANE THE VIRGIN and THE FLASH help to broaden out their viewership. He cracks, “I just am happy we have viewers.”

9:08 AM: “We were very proud of THE CARRIE DIARIES,” Pedowitz says. He says that in season 1, the streaming numbers were great, but because they couldn’t translate that to more actual viewers, they couldn’t justify keeping it on.

9:09 AM: “For us, it’s a great first vehicle,” Pedowitz says of Comic-Con. The buzz helps, and they have a huge presence there with their shows.

9:10 AM: “The SUPERNATURAL spinoff that came in, creatively, did not get to where we wanted it to go,” Pedowitz says. However, while they’re open to another spinoff attempt, they haven’t heard a pitch from the EPs yet.

9:12 AM: “I wish we were that kind to them,” Pedowitz says of the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST EPs going into last season’s long hiatus not knowing whether the show would be burned off in summer or if it would renewed.

9:13 AM: Pedowitz concedes their attempts at scripted comedies aren’t working. They think they’ll do more alternative comedy programs from now on.

9:14 AM: “I did receive 90 boxes of pasta,” Pedowitz says of upset STAR-CROSSED fans. He notes there weren’t enough fans at the end of the day.Howdy, Marisa Roffman

9:15 AM: On THE TOMORROW PEOPLE: “It did not generate as much on-air [audience] as we hoped, and it did not generate as much digitally as we hoped.”

9:16 AM: Pedowtiz points out that the network’s diversity isn’t just limited to JANE THE VIRGIN: THE FLASH has a diverse cast, too.

9:17 AM: THE 100 will only have 16 episodes this upcoming season so they can do their story in a condensed manner.

9:18 AM: “I am thrilled that Captain Kirk tweets,” Pedowitz says of William Shatner tweeting along with CW shows.

9:20 AM: “We have to have some faith in it, even if it is possibly flawed,” Pedowitz says of the Nielsen numbers.

9:22 AM: Pedowitz notes they do occasionally talk to their DC studio counterparts about the movies, but they acknowledge the worlds they’re building are different than the movie ones. (Unlike the Marvel universe.)

9:25 AM: Pedowitz says that JANE THE VIRGIN reminds him a bit like GILMORE GIRLS. Important to get the dynamic between the three generations of women right.

9:26 AM: Pedowitz teases Vincent may get his medical license back in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’s new season. Also, there will be a little bit of a time jump.

9:28 AM: “We wanted to start [THE 100] late March, early April,” Pedowitz notes. He says ideally, they’ll have programming running into late July in the future.

9:30 AM: “I would be under the penalty of some painful thing if I gave it up,” Pedowitz says of TVD/TO spoilers. “But…when it is organic, we’ll do a couple of crossovers. There will be some aspects of Mystic Falls [given] how last season ended for creatures to get in.”

9:32 AM: The network is wary of becoming too pigeon-holed into a genre box. He says the audience doesn’t come for procedurals.

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